Harry Potter and the Power of the Void
by Anime-Ronin
Summary: People say that there is no such thing as a coincidence. Harry is going to prove them right. SlightlyDarkHarry.
1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter and the Power of the Void

Author: Anime Ronin

Rating: M

Summary: People say that there is no such thing as a coincidence. Harry is going to prove them right. SlightlyDarkHarry.

Disclaimer: JKR owns Harry, Blizzard owns StarCraft, I own… my dog. holds up dog

AN: An annoying little bunny that, quite frankly, hasn't let go in nearly four months, so I decided to write it down in hopes of it finally shutting up.

AN2: Semi-Dark Harry fic. This is the one warning you get.

(Headmaster's office – Hogwarts)

Albus looked at the list of names on the scroll in front of him and sighed for the fifth time in ten minutes – so many of the people on the list had been confirmed or suspected Death Eaters, but a few of the names had been people whom had been totally apathetic towards the cause but had stopped short of supporting Voldemort. All of them, though, had one thing in common – they were all dead, murdered within the past week, and the method used was the same. A single stroke from a bladed object that left no residual tear marks or magical impressions that could be tracked – this vexed Albus greatly and terribly.

Of course, this only compounded the underlying problem of his sleeplessness that night, a problem he had been having for several months now, since June in fact – Harry was missing. Now, Albus decided, it had gone beyond that – Harry James Potter had vanished off of the face of the Earth, right out from under the noses of the Order… and worst of all, it had happened and nobody had known a thing about it until the first day of school when he did not show up. It rankled Albus to no end that this had happened, but what was worse was that the majority of the members of the Order had laid the blame directly at HIS feet… as well they should have. It had been his responsibility to make sure Harry was safe, a responsibility that he'd not only failed MANY times in the past, given all of the facts that were coming out in the muggle investigation of the Dursleys, but also in the respect that time and again he had betrayed the memories of Lily and James by withholding the truth from their son, withholding that and so many other things…

The figure appeared out of nowhere only a few feet in front of his desk, looking like one of the ghosts in the school but far, FAR more intimidating in his black cloak and ethereal nature, but it was the blazing green orbs that he could see that scared Albus more than he thought possible, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"

The voice that spoke was vaguely familiar, but it was as dry as the deserts and colder than the arctic winds, "My name means nothing to you, Albus Dumbledore. As for how I got in, I simply walked in and asked Hogwarts for her admittance."

Albus' wand was out as he stood, pointed at the thing's chest, "You will not harm the children!"

The figure chuckled darkly as he withdrew something from within his cloak, "No child here needs fear me, Albus Dumbledore. I only hunt criminals who are long past-due for justice." It raised its hand and, hanging from the end of it, were two severed heads, "Do you recognize them, Albus? You should."

Albus stared in shock at the wide-eyed, horrified and very dead face of Peter Pettigrew, his stomach turning slightly as he did, but the other face… a reptilian face, he wasn't sure about, "Who is he?"

The figure snorted in disgust and dropped both heads on his desk, "Come now, Albus. You should always know the faces of your enemies, be they real or fictional. Behold! Thomas Riddle's head lay on your desk, Albus Dumbledore! Lord Voldemort is dead!"

Albus stared at the head in shock for several seconds as the figure started to approach, "No… it is not possible… only-" Albus never finished his sentence as a blade, blacker than any black before it, sprang forth from the ethereal person's outstretched hand and sank into his chest like a stick slid through water.

It wasn't until the next morning when Minerva McGonagall found Albus' body was it that the full stroke of what had happened the previous night had become apparent. His body was laid out with the word 'Puppeteer' written on his chest in his own blood, but the head of Peter Pettigrew was also adorned with a word, 'Judas'.

It was the head of Lord Voldemort, though, that brought the most concern as both of the eyes, the ears and the tongue had been removed from the head and a phrase was written in blood – 'I am all that remains of Lord Voldemort. To the world I terrorized, I bid you farewell.'

Minerva actually managed to scream once before she passed out.

AN: Hmm… that's a good place to stop. Yeah, I know, not very vague, is it? Reviews, please.


	2. Chapter 2

2

Word of the deaths of Albus Dumbledore, Lord Voldemort and of Peter Pettigrew spread like wildfire, causing shock and much concern as, according to all records and reports, Peter Pettigrew was supposed to be dead and Lord Voldemort wasn't supposed to be around – many called it a hoax, others called it perplexing, while more than a few were calling for answers from those who could give them.

Another thing that was being called for, though, was Harry Potter and his location – it had become news of the highest order when he had been reported 'missing' by someone in Hogwarts, most probably Hermione Granger or Ginerva Weasley, and since then it had been a mad search for the Boy Who Lived. All in all, it was starting to turn into a situation that, in the American muggle Marines, could have been nicely classified by the term 'Charlie Foxtrot', and not so nicely termed as something that would get the mouths of many, many people washed out with powerful soap.

Minerva held a magical cold cloth over her brow as she sat in her office, having spent the better part of the morning not only with the Aurors, but also answering questions time and time and time again from the teachers, the students, from parents and from Ministry officials. She was tired, her head hurt, she wanted to go to her quarters and sleep and she needed to change robes, but no, she was now the new interim Headmistress of Hogwarts and she had to do her duty.

There was a knock at her door and she groaned as it opened, "For the last bloody time, no, I don't know what happened to Albus Dumbledore."

"Good thing I wasn't going to ask, then, Professor. Sorry, Headmistress," a voice told her, a voice that was very familiar and made her whip the cold cloth of her face and glare at the person in her doorway.

"Harry James Potter! What are you… where have you… when… how…" For the first time in many years, she was at a loss for words due to anger at a student and it wasn't getting any better with the cheeky look on his face.

Harry grinned at her as he stepped into her office, "As I recall, Headmistress, you are supposed to end a sentence before you start a new one."

Minerva, for a moment, felt like hexing him, but did not as A), both Hermione and Ginny would probably hex HER for that, and B), he reminded her FAR too much of his father and Sirius in the same stroke, so she settled for standing up and quickly embracing him, "Mr. Potter, where have you been?"

He gave her a slightly impish grin as his green eyes twinkled with mirth, "Would you believe… out?"

She glared at him, pursed her lips and took a cross-armed stance, "I am NOT amused, Harry. Where have you been?"

He shrugged and closed the door behind him, "Here, there and the other place." She pursed her lips and glared again but he held up his hands, "Sit down, Headmistress, and I'll give you a few answers, alright?"

She sat behind her desk and Minerva took a moment to look at him – dressed in a stylish black cloak with a muffler at the neck, Harry was looking especially dapper this morning, and while he stood a little taller since the last time she saw him, it was the fact that he stood… straighter, with more confidence, that caught her attention. She then noticed that his face had filled out a little, though he did look a bit pale, and his eyes, the mark of his mother, Lily Evans-Potter, were still the same striking green color they had always been, "Now, Mr. Potter, where have you been?"

"Out from under the thumb of the late and, in my case, unlamented Albus Dumbledore, for one thing," Harry said with a note, no, a streak of smugness a mile wide. "I took something of an unexpected trip this summer and, from what I can tell, my jailor didn't even know it happened. That's not exactly the kind of thing that fills you with confidence in the abilities of another and his group, you know?"

Minerva flushed slightly, "Yes, well, the blood wards were meant to keep someone out, Harry."

He snorted, "I'm sure he had more than blood wards up, Headmistress. Men like Albus only tell people what they ask about, but never everything." She started to object to the way he was treating Albus' memory, but he went on, "Either way, I have a question – how long after I disappeared did Voldemort butcher the Dursley's?" He then paused and smiled in a way that sent chills down her spine, "And, if he did, where can I send a fruit basket of congratulations to?"

"Harry! How can you say something like that? They are your family."

The deadly look in his green eyes took Minerva off-guard for several seconds as he reached into his cloak and removed something, "No, they were NEVER my 'family', Minerva. They were my slave masters, my torturers, and my captors. Not that anyone ever KNEW, as nobody ever checked on me, especially not the Puppeteer himself." He uncapped a flask and, after a brief salute, took a long drink from it before he recapped it, "Ahhh… that's the stuff."

Minerva blinked, "Alcohol, Mr. Potter? You are not of age to be drinking, yet."

He snorted again, this time in amusement, "Far be it from me to tell such a proud Scotswoman anything about drinking, Minnie, but I'm sure you have a bottle or two of firewhiskey stashed in your room or even here in your office, so leave me and my medicinal dosages alone."

"Medicinal? Are you ill? I'll call Madam Pomfrey."

He shook his head and sat back in his chair, the flask vanishing inside of his cloak, "No need, it's just something to help me with years of malnutrition at the hands of the Dursley's, something I was prescribed in France a few weeks ago by a kindly Veela who thought I was a touch on the thin side."

Minerva blinked, "France? That's not possible – we checked for you in every magical community from Portugal to Japan and Siberia to Australia."

He gave her a grin that made her want to hex Sirius by proxy, "Which is probably why you didn't find me. My trip took me a little further afield than I thought, but when I landed for the last time and started my own vacation, I landed in this wonderful little town in southeast Texas. They were quite accommodating and very helpful, and I found out that the American magical communities work more openly with their muggles than we do. Something we could probably stand to mimic one day," he said with a bit of a smirk that, once again, reminded her FAR too much of his father. "Either way, when I landed and got things squared away, I…" he paused and scratched his cheek, appearing to think about what he was going to say for a moment before he continued, "I took a very much-needed walkabout. I saw New York and Miami, Madrid, Paris, and several other places in Europe before I decided it was time to come back home."

Minerva's eyes locked onto his hand and the rings that were there, "Harry…"

He looked at her and smiled, "What? These?" He held his hand up and she could see the crests of not only the Potter family, but also the Black and another crest that was hauntingly familiar, "You would be surprised what you find out when you deal with goblins and are on the level with them, Headmistress. Did you know that Albus ignored and suppressed the reading of my parents Wills since seventy two hours after their death? I couldn't say I was THAT surprised, but when I found out that I was never supposed to go to the Dursley's under ANY circumstances, you could imagine my… irritation with the old goat."

Minerva paled a little, "You… your parents Wills were never read?"

He shook his head, "Nope, and all because Albus threw his weight around." He paused and frowned, "You know, Minerva, I just thought of something."

"What is that?"

"You've never actually tried to confirm that I am me. That's rather poor security protocol, especially for the Headmistress of Hogwarts," he admonished her slightly.

Minerva flushed – damn it! He was right, "You are right, Mr. Potter." She removed her wand and pointed it at him, "Now, remain still." Several minutes later, she had the answers she wanted, "I'm sorry, Harry. I should have this earlier, but with everything that has happened over the past weeks… the deaths…" She shook her head even as she saw him perk up, "Many people have been found killed, butchered in some cases, and most all of them have a connection."

"Confirmed of or suspected Death Eaters," he muttered, nodding. "I read the paper as well as anyone else and, well, I'm sorry some of them got off so lightly. Still, there's a morbid kind of justice in all of it, if you think about it."

Her head snapped up and her eyes spat fire, "What makes you say that?"

"Someone finally decided to do the job of the Ministry, to give the people what they have been longing for. No more revolving doors of justice, no more inept and/or corrupt political figures running the schools or the government, and all of it done by a person or a group of people who can live with the deaths of these people on their conscience." Harry reached back into his cloak and took another hit off of his flask, "All in all, I say good riddance to bad rubbish."

Minerva frowned, her mind clicking along at a good pace, "What has happened to you, Harry? You have never been this openly violent, let along malicious."

"Times change, Headmistress," he said with a snort, "and so do people. Besides," he continued as he stood up, stretching as he did, until she heard something pop and him groan, "maybe now things can get back to what passes for order around here."

She sighed, shaking her head at the change in the Boy Who Lived that stood before her, "What are you going to do now, Harry?"

He frowned for a moment before he shrugged, "I have to go to Gringotts right now and, after that, do some shopping. After that, though, it's up in the air." He then grinned and his green eyes twinkled with mischief, "Why? Were you thinking about asking me out on a date?"

Minerva's indignant response was lost in the gales of Harry's laughter.

AN: Reviews, please.


	3. Chapter 3 FINALLY!

3

AN: Grrrr…. Been trying to post this for a week now but apparently problems within FF (dot) net server has prevented me. Here it is, delayed thought it may be.

Harry smiled at the woman who sat a few feet away from him, "Ms. Black."

Narcissa Black-Malfoy glared at the impudent Boy Who Wouldn't Bloody DIE, as he was called in certain circles, "Child. Why are we here?"

Harry looked at Snarlgap, a goblin whom had been recommended to him by the bank manager, Ragnok, as honest and he had designated as his personal goblin advisor in the affairs of the Black and Potter families, "Shall we?"

The goblin nodded and slid several sheaves of paper towards them both, "These are the holdings of the Black family, divided as per the decision of the deceased, Sirius Black. On top of your pile, Ms. Black, is a magically binding contact that you will sign if you do not want your portion of the inheritances to go to Lord Baron Potter-Black."

Narcissa glared at the goblin before she glared at Harry, "What is the meaning of this?"

"You know as well as I do that your late and unlamented husband was a Death Eater, and that your son is also one, Narcissa. I am not about to allow Draco any part of the Black family holdings or fortune so that he could pass them along to his leash-holder."

Narcissa stiffened in her seat, her icy blue eyes boring holes into Harry, but the boy didn't appear at all fazed by it, "What makes you believe that you have ANY kind of authority of what I can do with my holdings, or whom I can give them to?"

He pointed at the stack of paper in front of her, "It's stipulated in the contract – if you in any way, shape, fashion or form aid the person who jokingly calls himself the 'Dark Lord', you will not only be stripped of your name, titles and property, but also of your magic. I've had the lawyers here at Gringotts go over the document, as well as the Black family lawyers and two other non-affiliated ones as well – it is iron clad." He then sat up a little straighter and looked her dead in the eyes, "Add to that, I am Lord Black now, by Sirius' will and by blood rights – if you have a problem with it, you can sever yourself from the most noble house of Black and the issue will be easily resolved as well."

Narcissa held her surprise at the words Potter told her, not just what they said but how he said them – in his cloak and his clothing, he looked every inch as a Lord Baron should, but more than that his eyes… they were intense, strong and powerful. If she had been a decade younger or he five years older, she would be doing everything in her power to make sure that he was in her bed that night, but as things stood, he had her trapped, "How very shrewd, Lord Baron. How, precisely, will you keep this from happening?"

Harry smirked and reached into his cloak, "Obviously you haven't read today's newspaper. For once, the Prophet has it correct." Narcissa blanched at the headline on the paper, 'LORD VOLDEMORT IS DEAD!' but Harry went on, "There is, of course, also the fact that you've been playing both sides against the middle, much like another person I could name right now."

Narcissa stiffened in her seat and glared at the goblin, "Leave." The goblin did so, but only after confirmation from Harry, and once he was gone she snarled, "What is your game, Potter?"

"To ensure that you're not part of anything that would ensure your needing to be silenced, Narcissa," Harry said with a chilled tone in his voice. "You and Bellatrix were Sirius' favorites, but as she's had a 'tragic accident', I'm forced to leave you alive for the time being. If you jeopardize the status quo, though, I'm sure something can be… arranged."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes, "You speak of my sister's death like you know something."

He gave her the most innocent look she had ever seen on someone's face, up to and including Sirius when he was actually innocent, "Do you honestly think me capable of murder, Narcissa?"

"You are Harry bloody Potter – I put very little past you," came the flat reply.

Harry's innocent look morphed into something decidedly deadly as he grinned, "Very good, Narcissa." He stood and made his way over to where she sat, leaning down to whisper into her ear, "I have changed a great deal, my lady, but do not think for a second that there are lows that I will not stoop to in order to protect the people of the Wizarding community, even if it is from themselves."

Narcissa felt a spike of fear go through her body even as she felt her body betray her and become aroused by someone who was young enough to be her son, something that wasn't too odd given that she had always been attracted by strong, powerful and dangerous men, but it was the principle of the matter… "What are you planning to do?"

Harry straightened himself and sat back down in his chair, a pleased look now plastered on his face, "Now that would be telling, Narcissa. Snarlgap!" The goblin entered and, once he was seated, Harry looked at Narcissa, "Now, are you going to sign?"

(Later)

"That was very shrewd of you, Lord Baron Potter-Black," Snarlgap said with a decidedly evil grin on his lips.

Harry smirked a little as he looked at the signed and bound contract Narcissa Black, formerly Narcissa Black-Malfoy now that the proceedings were complete, had signed, "What makes you say that, Snarlgap?"

"It is well-known that the Wizarding world has not treated you well on a whole, yet here you are doing your best to save it. I find that… curious."

Harry nodded and idly looked through the sheaf of papers that declared his holdings, "I've recently had something of a revelation as of late, Snarlgap, something that showed me exactly what will happen to this world on a whole if someone doesn't do something very, VERY soon about the way people think." He stopped half-way down a page and frowned, "I own this much of the Daily Prophet?"

Snarlgap nodded, "Surprising, I know, but as you have taken over the holdings of both the Potter and the Black family fortunes, you are not only quite wealthy, but you have a great deal of influence over the matters of things like day-to-day business in England."

Harry shrugged, "Cool." He then sighed dramatically and took up a tragic, if wounded pose, "Now, if only this power could be used for the good of all mankind!"

The goblin chuckled, "So much like your father and his friends…"

Harry blinked, "You knew them?"

The goblin nodded, "Many in my world thought that they would bring about changes within the Wizarding world, enough that the strife between our people would end. Sadly, it did not." He paused for a moment before he stood straighter, "Is there anything else that you need, Lord Baron?"

Harry shook his head, "Not at this time, Snarlgap. I thank you for your assistance today."

The goblin nodded, "May your gold flow, Lord Baron Potter-Black."

Harry returned the nod, "May your gold flow as well, Snarlgap."

(Elsewhere)

"Are you sure he's in there?"

"Of course I'm sure. The hair, the eyes, the scar, it had to be Potter."

"Maybe he's in there for personal business?"

"snort Yeah, right. All of these deaths and V-V-V-Voldemort on top of that and he's in there making a withdrawal from his accounts."

"You know, Smithe, you're a real pain in the arse some times."

"Funny thing, Tonks – I say the same thing about you all of the time."

Nymphadora Tonks rolled her eyes at her temporary partner and sighed, "Alright, fine. Go make your report to HQ and I'll stay here and watch for Harry. He should be out momentarily and I'll do my best to distract him." No sooner had she spoken than her partner was gone and she was alone, which allowed her to sigh and flop down onto a bench, "Bloody hell, Harry. Where the hell have you been?"

"Lots of different places." Tonks shot to her feet at the sound of Harry's voice, pulled her wand and spun, pinning him in place with a perfectly executed draw… or, at least, that was the idea. Her wand stuck in her holster, she got precisely two inches of vertical on her jump and she somehow managed to trip over her own shoelaces in mid air, causing her to land on the ball of her left foot and teeter precariously before she began to fall forwards with a shriek.

Harry caught her before she fell too far and, as he smirked down at her in his arms, she could tell that she wasn't going to live this down any time soon, "You know, Tonks, a bloke could get used to a beautiful woman falling at his feet but when she does it literally, it tends to get a bit rote."

Tonks, from her position in his arms, stuck her tongue out at him, "Wotcher, Harry. How's tricks?"

His emerald eyes twinkled with a dark sort of humor as he answered, "For kids, if you are an American and want cereal, or for tarts if you want to be blunt." He picked her up and put her back on her feet before he brushed off his cloak, "So, how are you?"

She shrugged and put her wand away, doing her best to recover what little dignity she was sure she had left, "Not a lot. Looking for you, actually."

He put on a shocked expression and touched his chest with his fingertips, "Me? The Ministry sent one of their most beautiful Aurors after little old me? I'm… well, I'd say I'm shocked, but instead I'll go with pleasantly surprised and intrigued as to the nature of your mission."

Tonks blinked a few times, trying to wrap her mind around what he'd just said and the delivery, but she then grinned and snickered, "Damn, Harry, I do have to say that if I didn't know any better, that you were trying to flirt with me."

He smirked at her, his eyes once again twinkling, "Oh, that wasn't enough to get the point across? Pity. So, Tonks why are you following me?"

"I'll tell you that as soon as you tell me how you got out of the bank without being seen," she countered. No, she hadn't missed his words, but the fact he was trying to flirt with her was second – her pride, in it's wounded state, demanded an answer as to how he'd snuck up on her…

Harry gave her a smirk and, for an instant, Tonks felt her heart skip a beat and she was sure that the lonely little girl in her mind suddenly screamed at the fact she was getting the attention of the cute boy, but that instant soon passed, "What, and have me divulge ALL of my secrets? Sorry, Tonks, but that's not until the third date."

She smirked, ready, willing and able to get back on the board against ickle Harry-kins, "What makes you think you're getting a first date, kid? I might not be into kids or kid things, after all."

He snorted, "Your flower-print cotton knickers say otherwise, Tonks." He pointed down and she saw that, in her trip, she'd exposed herself slightly and she corrected with at jerk and a blush, "But, beyond that, I don't so I'm taking a chance."

Tonks shook her head, "Sorry, Harry, but I'd have to say no until you're either the head of your family or you've reached your majority."

Harry arched an eyebrow at her, "Is that all?"

She arched a pink eyebrow, wondering who had taught Harry how to flirt like this, "Yes, that's all."

Harry raised his hand, a genuine smile on his lips now, "Will being Lord Baron Potter-Black be enough for you, my fair lady, or must I endeavor to go further?"

Tonks did her impression of a guppy for a moment and realized she was caught, so she went on another track, "Hold on a minute, Potter, you said 'one of the most beautiful Aurors'. Should I take that to imply that you think someone else is cuter than me?"

"Of course not," Harry said smoothly as he slid up against her side and pulled her into a side-armed hug. "Purple eyes, pink hair, flawless ivory skin that has just the slightest hint of a tan, you're the perfect package, Tonks."

She smiled at that and preened for a second, "Well, yes, I do suppose that my perfection is obviously evident, so why not tell me how you got out here, Harry."

"Houston, the ego has landed," he muttered to her with a playful smirk before he sobered. "I've been practicing a few… skills… and that's one of them."

He had her reeling and she had been able to cover for the most part, but the sudden change in attitude almost threw Tonks for enough of a loop to crack, "Skills? What kind of skills?"

He shook his head, "The kind that Albus wouldn't have approved of at all. Now that you have found me, Tonks, whatever are you going to do with me?"

That did it. The look in his eye, coupled with the shocks and flirting had finally caused Tonks to sit down and sigh in defeat, "Sit down, Harry."

He sat, all humor gone from his face, "What's wrong, Tonks?"

She shook her head, "They found Remus this morning, Harry. He…" She shook her head and willed the tears to not fall, "They worked him over pretty hard before they finished it."

Harry's face became a blank mask, "Who? The Death Eaters?" This wasn't part of his plan…

She nodded, "He and I… we'd been talking as of late, since Sirius' death, and I think we were about to come to an understanding of sorts when this happened."

Harry slid his hand on top of hers and squeezed it gently, ignoring the fact that he, technically, barely knew her, but she was in pain, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

She shook her head, "No." She patted him on top of the hand and removed it for a second, but only long enough to slap a pair of muggle handcuffs on his wrist and the other end onto her, "Now, as to what I'm going to do with you, the Director wants to talk with you. Now."

Harry looked down at the handcuff on his wrist, remembering them from the officers that used to visit their school when he was in the muggle system, and then up at her, "I'm not into bondage, Tonks."

She gave him a flat look, "I'd never use these for bondage, Harry." He nodded and she smirked, "I'm more of a leather girl, myself. Now, up and at 'em, we need to be off."

Harry stood, a bemused look on his face, "Just so you know, I don't allow bondage until we're engaged."

Tonks immediately tripped, once again exposing her floral-print cotton knickers to the world. No, this couldn't be any more embarrassing, could it?

"As much as I enjoy the view, Tonks, you said the director needed to speak with me." The smirk in Harry's voice was evident as she stood and faced him.

AN: Alright, that's it for this chapter. Harry's confidence is starting to show, as is some of the darker side of his being (in reference to his conversation with Cissy), Tonks has found he can indeed flirt, and now we have another casualty, this one unintended, in Remus. Wonder what the Director wants? Reviews, please.

AN2: In reference my other story, The Forgotten Potter, let me go ahead and get this out – I was inadvertently copying a story of another author on another site (one that's apparently having server trouble right now – if it gets fixed, I'll post the link) and, when he contacted me and offered proof (in the form of the next few chapters), I was shocked to see how closely my story was going to mirror his. I have since removed it, apologized, and am retooling it. Hopefully, it'll be up relatively soon. Just thought it might be pertinent.


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